


Where Dreams Come True

by littletrinkets



Series: Happily Ever After [1]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, That's it, also lio is literally me whenever i'm forced to go to a theme park, disneyland au, disneyland medic!galo thymos sweeps in to save local damsel in distress!lio fotia, that's the whole fic, those things were created by the devil. no you can't change my mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27603634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletrinkets/pseuds/littletrinkets
Summary: Lio is going to be sick. He’s going to puke, and then he’s going to die, and it’ll be all Meis and Gueira’s fault.“I’m going to fire both of your asses so hard as soon as we get back,” Lio moans. “It’ll be my first order of business, top of my list, even more important than getting that grant we’ve been working on for months.”Or: Lio Fotia, bonafide theme park hater and Disneyland nonenthusiast, experiences a little bit of Disney magic in the form of Galo Thymos.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: Happily Ever After [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088069
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	Where Dreams Come True

**Author's Note:**

> “don’t you have another au you’re supposed to be working on” yeah so what’s your point
> 
> LISTEN OKAY—this idea popped up in my head while I was working on my other fic and it wouldn’t go away so now here you go, Promare fandom. Have more of my life.  
> (I have a deep-seated love for AUs. I’m a slut for them, and I would like to see more in this fandom.)
> 
> Not beta’d, as usual. Let me know if there are any mistakes! Especially since English isn’t my first language ha ha

The summer sun is ruthless against Lio’s skin. Even when he goes beneath a tree for shade, the sun’s rays still peak through the gaps between the leaves, striking his overheated body, mocking his efforts for a bit of reprieve. He would close his eyes – maybe that could take his mind off of the heat, out of sight, out of mind, as they say – but then the grating sounds of metal rides accompanied by the delighted screams of children and adults alike would be magnified, leaving him in a state even further from the peace he seeks.

Lio raises his head and scowls at nothing at particular (or maybe at an unknown god, or the universe, in general). He hates Disneyland.

Normally, Lio would never allow himself to be dragged to such a wretched place. He’d rather _die_ than subject himself to the special hell that is a theme park. In the first place, he’s never understood the allure theme parks ( _Disneyland in particular_ , Lio hisses in his mind) seemed to have on other people – what’s so fun about standing for hours in endless lines for a ride whose ultimate goal appeared to be making you vomit last night’s meal? And in suffocating heat too.

Now, don’t get Lio wrong – he likes fire. Enjoys it, even. But the comfortable steady warmth he appreciates from a good flame is worlds different from the damp heat associated with throngs of sweaty people converging together in one area. One is fun and thrums nicely in his veins. The other is just plain disgusting and is probably a health hazard.

Lio is desperately fanning himself with a cheap paper fan he bought in the dollar store – it’s starting to fray at the edges, so Lio supposes that when it breaks, he’ll follow suit – when he’s rudely pulled away from his musings and is forced to stand up. He levels his intruders with a withering glare, but unfortunately for him, years of friendship has made them immune to his fury. He despises this development.

“Boss, you can’t just waste your time here _sitting_. We’re in Disneyland!” Gueira opens his arms wide, like the special circle of hell they’re currently in is something to behold. Lio remains unconvinced.

Meis goes behind Lio to push him out of the shade. Lio tries to dig in his heels and resist being moved, but unfortunately for him, he’s no match for the combined efforts of Meis and Gueira, and he’s soon forced back out into the sun.

Lio squints at the newfound brightness, then at his companions. “I despise you both,” he hisses.

“Yes, yes, we love you too, Boss.” Meis pats his shoulder. “Now come on, we still haven’t gone on Space Mountain. There’s no way we can miss that.”

Gueira cheers, while Lio groans in dread. He _hates_ Disneyland.

* * *

Lio is going to be sick. He’s going to puke, and then he’s going to die, and it’ll be all Meis and Gueira’s fault.

He hangs his head pitifully between his legs, desperately trying to keep his lunch in. And it’s still so fucking _hot_.

“I’m going to fire both of your asses so hard as soon as we get back,” Lio moans. “It’ll be my first order of business, top of my list, even more important than getting that grant we’ve been working on for months.”

Meis gently rubs his back while making soothing noises, like he wasn’t one half of the reason why Lio is suffering right now. _Filthy liar_. “There, there,” Meis coos, and Lio wants to slap his dirty touch away, if only he didn’t feel like he’d throw up on his shoes as soon as he raised so much as a finger. “Don’t concentrate on the negative things right now, you’ll just feel worse.”

“Your face is making me feel worse.” Lio can’t actually see Meis’s face right now, but he can feel his shit-eating grin.

“Shh, it’ll be okay.” _Shut up, Meis_ , Lio vehemently thinks. Oh, how he would love to punch him right about now.

“Boss, I got you some lemonade!” Gueira shouts from a few feet away. The sound of sneakers on gravel gets louder and louder until Gueira stops in front of where Lio is crouched on the ground in pain. He bends down and holds out the plastic cup, which Lio takes gratefully.

Lio sips at his lemonade then winces at the pure sugar that assaults his tongue. Honestly not his first choice of drinks and he’d usually throw this away immediately ( _sorry, Gueira_ ), but beggars can’t be choosers, he supposes. And at his current state, it’s definitely better than nothing. Lio’s vision isn’t swimming anymore, so he raises his head, leans back, and rests his body onto the building behind him. He takes a deep breath to further steady himself, then lazily eyes his companions.

Gueira is hopping in place, his attention focused on another nearby ride. Meis is faring slightly better – he’s at least pretending to be more concerned about Lio, but the restless twitching of his fingers fail to hide his eagerness.

Lio sighs, half in exasperation and half in fondness. This is what he’s really here for, isn’t it? To babysit a bunch of children.

“Just go,” Lio waves, dismissing them. “You said it earlier, we can’t just waste our time here sitting, especially when we paid a fortune just to enter this godforsaken place. Go line up for a ride for fun, or whatever.”

Gueira’s face lights up in joy, and he looks like he’s about to take Lio’s offer upfront, but Meis stops him with a frown. “We can’t just leave you here alone.”

“How old do you think I am, twelve? I don’t need you two nursing me. I’ll be fine, now just go.” Lio weakly smiles at them. “Besides, how am I supposed to feel better looking at your ugly faces?” he teases.

Meis scowls at him. “You asshole,” he says, jokingly nudging Lio’s shoulder as he moves to stand up. “Fine, fine, we’ll give you some space. Don’t miss us too much, alright?”

Lio scoffs. “As if. Now get out of here.”

“Will do!” Gueira salutes. “See you in fifteen minutes, Boss!”

Lio waves, until they fully turn their backs on him, then slumps in place. He’s _exhausted_. It’s a mystery to him how Meis and Gueira aren’t as tired as he is right now, especially since he’s the youngest of the three.

Relaxing his shoulders, Lio idly spends his time people watching, fanning himself all the while. There’s a couple just off to the right in matching outfits. A Mickey Mouse headband adorns the mint green head of the bespectacled man, to the apparent amusement of his girlfriend, whose grin reminds Lio of a crocodile. On the opposite side of the couple are three girls – one with round glasses, another with bright pink hair, who walks hand in hand with a darker skinned girl with a headband. The other two appear to be in an animated discussion, while the one with the headband looks like she’s just being dragged along for the ride.

Preoccupied by the scenes before him, Lio distractedly takes a sip from the cup he’s holding, only to tear it away from his lips in disgust. He forgot he still had this lemonade. Although its purpose was to quench Lio’s thirst, it seems to be more successful in accomplishing the exact opposite, and Lio finds himself parched and craving for some water, or at least a more decent drink, like tea. Checking his phone for the time (still ten more minutes before Meis and Gueira were due to come back), Lio stands up, stretches, then chucks the half-filled cup into a nearby trash can. He’s pretty sure he saw a food stand around here that sells bottled water.

* * *

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

Lio’s been wandering around for a while now. The food stand he was aiming for had a long line, too long for Lio’s tastes, and fuck if he was going to wait that long for one measly bottle of water. So off he went to find another food stand, or convenience store, or whatever the fuck Disneyland used to rip off their visitors when it came to basic human needs (like water, which Lio _desperately_ needs right now. Maybe it also wasn’t a good idea to throw away that sugar water Gueira got him, at least he’d have something to temporarily quench his thirst).

But the next food stand he found had an equally long line, and so had the one after that. At this point, Lio thinks Disneyland has managed to sense his deep hatred for its very essence (which is _not_ happiness and is, in fact, thinly veiled capitalism) and is now out to get him.

Lio’s vision is starting to blur again so he crouches, right there in the middle of the walkway, to regain his bearings. This might just be a little bit sad, he thinks, and he can feel the worried looks the passersby are giving him. He considers calling Meis and Gueira for help, but that would make this whole situation even more sad and pathetic, so no, he’s not going to do that.

Lio can feel a headache coming on, which annoys him even more. Disneyland really has a personal vendetta against him, doesn’t it? The sweat on his back is starting to seep through his shirt, Lio registers in distaste, and he can feel his breaths coming in quicker by the second. He heavily picks up his head, looking at his surroundings and feeling even more dizzy after doing so. Has this area always swirled around like that?

“Hey, are you alright? What’s your name?” There’s a gentle hand in between his shoulder blades, and Lio tiredly turns his head to look at it. He stares at it for a second, confused, then raises his eyes to see a…blue blur?

The blue blur goes nearer and okay, it’s actually a person. Not that Lio can make out much of their features, although their teal eyes do look quite nice.

Now there’s a shade of red on what Lio presumes is the blue blur’s cheeks.

“Oh, um, thank you, I think your eyes look nice too.”

Shit, did he say that out loud?

“Yeah, you did, but seriously. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay.” Lio waves their hand away, which he does with minimal success. “I’m Lio,” he adds, belatedly registering the man’s other question, “But don’t worry about me.”

Lio goes to stand up, or at least tries to, which turns out to be the worst idea he’s had so far. And it looks like the blue blur agrees with him, if his wide panicked eyes are anything to go by.

“Hey wait, don’t get up so quickly—”

“Trust me, I’m okay—” Lio manages to get out through gritted teeth, before promptly passing out.

* * *

The first thing Lio registers as soon as he’s conscious is the spray of cool mist on his skin. It feels nice – really nice – and this bed is really soft, and Lio’s kind of tempted to just keep his eyes closed and try to sneak in a few more seconds of sleep.

Then he remembers that he’s in Disneyland, the house of Satan.

Lio sits up so abruptly he gives himself whiplash. He holds his head in his hands, groaning in pain, regretting all the actions he’s taken to get him to this point. Someone is immediately by his side, gently leading him back on the bed, and Lio can do nothing but meekly obey their ministrations.

After Lio’s head stops spinning, he inhales deeply through his nose, releasing his breath in four counts. Once he’s sure he’s stable, he opens his eyes and is metaphorically accosted by a bright aura, a gleaming smile, and twinkling teal eyes, all packaged in one hunk of a man with a blue mohawk.

“I’m thirsty,” Lio says while staring that the other man’s chest. He’s donned in a blue scrub suit so Lio can’t appreciate the full glory of his pecs, but based on that outline, Lio just knows there’s a delicious sight to see underneath.

The man perks up like a puppy ( _fuck_ , Lio eloquently says in his mind), grabs a bottle of water (the irony isn’t lost on Lio), and holds it out.

“Here! Finish the whole thing too—I’m sure you’re dehydrated right now.”

Lio just stares at the bottle. He should probably do something normal, like accepting the bottle like a normal human being, but he’s a little low on words right now, and the attractiveness the man is exuding from all angles isn’t helping Lio function any better. Luckily for him, the other man interprets Lio’s silence as an extension of whatever the fuck he was experiencing earlier (heatstroke?) instead of the gay panic it actually is and is quick to offer his help.

“Oh, I bet you’re still kinda out of it, huh? My bad. Here, let me help—” he twists the bottle cap open in one try, which, for some godforsaken reason, Lio finds _hot_. Oh, fuck him indeed. “—there we go!” He then proceeds to place a gentle hand on the back of Lio’s neck (and Lio’s Gay Panic Level rises by at least five notches), brings the bottle closer to Lio’s slack lips, then helps him drink up.

It’s a good thing Lio’s body knows how to do basic human functions on autopilot, like drinking, because Lio’s brain is definitely out of commission right now.

They’re in this position until Lio finishes half of the bottle’s contents, which the other man notes with a satisfied smile. He nods to himself, recaps the water bottle, then places it on the side table beside Lio’s bed. He then turns his smile back to Lio, and Lio feels a bit like the wind was knocked out of his chest.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, I—thank you.” Lio looks away from the other man’s face and down at his…apparently bare chest. He squeaks, instinctively pulling the sheets over himself, eyes wildly finding the man again in a panic. But the other has his hands up, like he wants to placate Lio, and his face is kind of…pink?

Lio stares at him, making the other man fumble even more.

“I’m sorry-! It’s part of the protocol for heat exhaustion, we gotta remove the outer layer of clothing since it’ll help in cooling down.” He fumbles a bit, reaching for something behind him. A few seconds later, he lets out a small sound of victory, delicately placing the item he was looking for on Lio’s covered lap. It’s Lio’s shirt, neatly folded.

“See! It’s fine! You’re free to put it on as soon as your temperature has gone down.”

“I…understand.” Lio side-eyes him for a bit, before deciding to bite the bullet and _fuck it, what do I have to lose_. “May I know your name?”

The other man puffs out his chest in pride. “It’s Galo Thymos, but you can just call me Galo! Number one Disneyland first aid medic, at your service!”

Despite himself, Lio feels the corners of his mouth turning up, the sheer enthusiasm of Galo infecting him too. “Well, thank you, Galo. You were a big help.”

Galo rubs the back of his head, looking a bit shy. “I’m just glad I happened to be around the same area as you, otherwise help might have come a bit later than usual.”

Lio certainly feels lucky that Galo was around when he was when he fainted, but he feels the same for other reasons as well.

“Thank you for your help all the same.”

“It’s no problem!” Galo grins, and Lio can feel himself smiling back. He’s slowly leaning into Galo, drawn in by his gravity. Galo’s eyes widen a bit in a surprise, then slowly lowering back down, and the look he gives Lio sparks excitement in his chest. He inches closer and closer into Galo’s space, lids growing heavier the narrower the distance becomes, until he can feel light breaths on his slightly parted lips—

_“—I know it’s not right, I can’t stop me, can’t stop me—”_

“FUCK.” Lio, pissed as hell, directs his rage at his phone instead. The screen shows Gueira’s name, and Lio decides, right then and there, that he will make good on his earlier threat to give these two nitwits the axe.

“ _What the fuck do you want._ ”

_“Whoa, Boss, we just wanted to know where you are!”_

Lio gathers all of the patience he’s known for, for this one moment. It’s not Gueira’s fault he unintentionally blue-balled Lio, he knows that, so he chooses to handle this with grace.

“Before I say anything else, I just wanted to emphasize that _I am alright_.” Lio exhales before continuing, “I’m at the—” he looks at Galo, who mouths their location, “—first aid station. I had a bit of heatstroke—” _Heat exhaustion_ , Galo tries to correct him, but Lio doesn’t know what that even is so fuck it, “—so I was brought here for treatment.”

” _BOSS! Are you alright!?_ ”

Lio grits his teeth. “I _just told you_ I’m fine.”

 _Lio Fotia is a master of patience_ , he reminds himself.

“ _Hold on, we’re on our way—Meis look for the first aid station stat—_ ”

“You’re not _fucking_ _listening—_ ”

And the line is dead. Lio pinches his nose, annoyed at his friends, but secretly also thankful for their concern. He probably has about ten minutes, give or take, before the two idiots come barging in here, and damn if he’s going to give them another reason to give him shit (read: making obscene comments and gestures in the vicinity of Galo the hot medic).

“Listen—” Lio starts, at the same time Galo lets out a hesitant “Hey—"

Galo closes his mouth, teeth making an audible click, so Lio takes that as his cue to continue.

“My friends are coming over to pick me up, so I’ll be taking my leave soon. I assume that I’m cleared now?”

Galo actually looks like he deflates a little at that. _Interesting_. “Well, yeah, I guess you’re good to go.” He fiddles with his fingers, peeking at Lio every so often, and Lio is weak.

“I owe you one, and I really do want to make it up to you.” Lio ignores Galo’s outbursts of _No, not really, it’s my job!_ in favor of opening the dial pad on his phone. “So I was thinking, are you free Thursday night? I know this good Italian place that serves amazing pizza, it would be my treat.”

Galo holds a hand to his heart and lets out a dreamy sigh. “Lio, I _love_ pizza.” He takes Lio’s phone in his large (very large, Lio notes with relish) hands, inputs his number, then hands it back. “And yes, I’m free on Thursday night. I’d love to go.”

Lio tucks a lock of hair behind his ear, bats his eyelashes (which makes Galo turn into an even more delicious shade of pink), and smirks. “It’s a date then.”

* * *

It's on the drive home that Lio breaks the news to Meis and Gueira, who subsequently lose their shit.

"Looks like theme parks aren't all that bad after all, huh, Boss?" Meis sneers.

Lio scoffs, still unconvinced that amusement parks don't come from the asshole of the devil. "Hardly. If you recall, I almost died back there."

"Yeah, but you got a hot medic to kiss you and make it all better!" Gueira pipes up from the backseat of their beat-up pickup truck.

Lio hums. "Well, I guess you're correct there." He balances his cheek on his palm, arm on the frame of the open passenger window, as he watches Disneyland's famous castle get smaller with distance. "It wasn't that bad."

**Author's Note:**

> Did I just make Lio an unapologetic kpop fan? Yes. Yes I did.  
> (Pssst I don't know if Disneyland first aid medics are a real job (I mean?? I guess???) so don't get your hopes up)
> 
> I may or may not continue this AU every now and then as a side thing while I update Aftermath, who knows? Maybe if random scenes pop up in my head again lol.
> 
> (Small note on Aftermath btw, for those following it: the next chapter will be late! One of the most important exams of my life is coming up so I've been focused on that, but the update will come eventually!!)
> 
> #MakeMorePromareAUs2k21


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